To My Beloved
by ALittleMarionette
Summary: In tale of loss, starting with a wife, followed by a son, and concluded by a loss of everything he ever believed in, Iroh was forced to step away from the only life he ever knew, and leave on a journey to make everything right again. Armed with letters from his deceased wife, and a love for tea, Iroh is determined to help end the insanity that has run rampant int he Fire Nation.


Hey guys, I just wanted to give a very brief explanation about this story before you start reading.

In my mind, Uncle Iroh had to go through quite a bit of transformation before he became our music loving, pashao playing, white lotus member that we all know and love in the series.

He was once just as brainwashed as the rest of the fire nation. It took the death of his only son to tear him away from the war in the end, and only then does it seem he started his transformation.

But to me, Iroh's story seems horribly incomplete. If you want to break someone mentally and reform them, it's typically a slow growing process, starting with little hints, and subtle things, finally leading to the last straw that breaks the camel's back. In this case, that last straw seems to be the death of Lu Ten.

But how does it get there. That's what I wanted to write. To me, its going to have a lot to do with Lu Ten's mother, who we know nothing about. So I've invented a character to fill that role. I hope she's not too Mary Sue-ish, but she is supposed to come off at Iroh's kind of guiding light.

Any how, on a different note, Please don't flame this story, my lovely readers. I have no problems with critiquing my writing styles, or correcting my grammar or if I seem to have made a cannon related mistake. ((Because I do want to keep this story as cannon compliant as possible)). But do NOT tell me that my writing is worthless or my idea is stupid. That's just cruel and harsh.

And now, after that Long winded rant, my story. Please enjoy.

To My Beloved

_An "Avatar: the Last Airbender" fanficiton_

All rights for ATLA belong to their respective owners.

I gain nothing from their use but others amusement.

The premise/plot and Lyra are my own creations.

ENJOY!

This had never been her idea of a good time. Going to court, impressing the Firelord, making small talk with the other Fire Nation Nobles…

The young woman, just reaching 17 years of age, stared at her own reflection, taking in her own unique characteristics. It wasn't her eyes that caused her to stand out, because they were just like the rest of her family, golden, almost like honey from the moth-bees. Nor was it the pale skin associated with the aristocracy of her home nation. No, what made her stand out was the deep, brick red hair that that currently intricately braided atop her head.

Father said she got it from mother, a rare trait that came from a time when the Fire Nation and still been divided tribally. Legend had it that long ago Ember Island used to actually be home to an active Volcano, and that a secretive tribe of fire benders had lived there. This tribe was unique for two reasons, the first was that they had been proficient in the now long lost art of bending lava, and the second was their beautiful fire red hair. The old story explains that many years ago, when the world was still new and spirits could easily wander the mortal realm, the spirit Sengen1 was tricked into capture by a cunning merchant. On the merchant's way to port, a group of men realized that the woman trapped by the foreigner was not any typical woman, but a spirit. In this way Sengen was rescued and released by a very brave band of mortal fire benders. In reward for their good deed, she raised the volcano from the ocean, causing it to rupture and be cloaked in ash. She told the men that in one week, the ash would clear, and a volcanic island would be waiting. "Whichever of you comes in one weeks' time will be welcomed, and blessed. The island will provide for you, and every ten years the volcano will rupture, widening and bringing fertilization to the ground."

A week later, four of the men ventured to the island with their families, where they were again greeted by the goddess. "You have once again proved your bravery." She told the men. "For that alone I will teach you a secret art that you can pass to your children and them to theirs."

Thus Sengen blessed the men and their families with the art of bending lava, and gave them her blessing, marking them as her own with the red hair that now graced the young woman's head.

But that was legend. No volcano had erupted in Ember Island in decades, and if this secret tribe ever had existed, their history and the truth of the matter had long been erased from the world.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the girl unconsciously sat up a little straighter. "Enter." She said, her voice light and musical, but also measured with caution. With a giggle from the other side, the door opened, ushering in a younger, dark haired girl. She was maybe 4, and she looked on with wide, bronze eyes, taking in the gown that the older girl was wearing. "Oh, wow Lyra," She exclaimed, watching the young woman stand up, mesmerized. "You look so pretty!"

The young woman, Lyra, relaxed and stood up, twirling around and showing off for her younger sister,. When she came to a standstill, she leaned down, a rare smile on her face for the dark haired little girl. "Just wait, Ursa." She said in a lightly teasing tone. "One day you'll get to wear a dress like this too. Now come here, and help me get all of these pins and braids out of my hair."

Carefully, Lyra placed Ursa on the stool she had just vacated, making the younger girl just tall enough to pull the pins from her sister's hair. As the braids were released, Lyra caught them and deftly undid them, so that soft waves now fell about her head, looking almost like the fire that her nation was so well known for. After it was all unbraided, Lyra turned around and winked at her younger sister, causing the girl to giggle again. She picked up Ursa and moved her from the stool to the floor, taking the seat herself so she could use the mirror to place the traditional topknot on her head. The makeup was left wholly untouched, and Lyra nodded at her reflection in satisfaction.

"Papa!" Ursa exclaimed, jumping eagerly from the bed, and then running to where her father had come to stand in the door way.

Lyra, however, only stood up and respectfully lowered her head in her father's presence. Gently, her father lifted his elder daughters head, taking the beauty mark below her left eye. He tapped it lightly before dropping his hand away. "You look almost like my mother in your face. But your hair and your eyes… that comes from _your_ mother's family all the way." He said softly. Lyra smiled at her father, and took a step back, holding her arms out so her father could inspect the dress. He nodded; taking it, but then took a moment to fix the collar so it was evenly placed. But she still kept quiet, not wanting to ruin her father's good mood. She was so used to hearing him talk about the war effort, and having him be a cold hearted general, that she rarely got to see the affectionate, fatherly side of her only remaining parent.

The dress itself was a simplified version of more traditional designs. For one the layers fabrics were lighter, and nowhere near as stiff. However, the abuse of layers to create a dazzling effect was still there. As a matter of fact, her dress had almost three layers, using deep reds, gold, and black to emphasize her pale skin and high cheek bones.3 The top layer, very simple in its black color, was the shortest, wrapping across her torso, and tied closed with a thick golden colored cloth belt around her waist. It had long bell like sleeves, and it's gold trim was a beautiful contrast with the burning red of the under layer, which fell to the floor in waves of fabric. From the belt hung a set of thin gold chains, all at different lengths and that made a soft chiming noise when she walked.

All in all, she looked every bit like Fire Nation Nobility.

Turning around to check her reflection one last time, Lyra saw the spirit of her mother behind her. _"You're beautiful."_ The spirit whispered with a slight smile, before fading back into the Spirit World.

The party had lasted well into two hours already, and Lyra was making her way around the room, making sure to quietly listen to the other nobility talk up the war. Of course, it would never do for Lyra to voice her opinions. She would likely be incarcerated.

So instead, she had been at her father's arm for a good part of the last hour, as he introduced her to every available noble's son, and only now did she find herself coming to any sort of stand still. With nothing better to amuse herself with, she found herself mentally criticizing the tall stranger she found herself standing next to as she listened in.

"You should have seen the prince, your majesty." One of the men in the circle said, obviously kissing up. At the same time Lyra was noticing the stranger's dark hair and golden eyes. His face was regal, yet soft, almost friendly. He had an educated look about him, and she couldn't help but find him familiar. A nobleman's son, at least.

"He's got a knack for strategy, that's for certain." He father quipped in, not wanting to miss his chance to compliment the prince. She only studied the Firelord briefly, to see his reaction to the comments, before focusing back on her stranger. The man's broad shoulders and strait backed stance marked him as a military man, and judging by the fact that he was included in this conversation made him a high ranking official.

Fire Lord Azulon nodded, excepting the praise as if it were directed at him. Then the stranger spoke. His voice was smooth, a nice tenor among the rest of these old men. "You all give me too much credit." He said an easy smile on his face. "I simply only added to a plan that was already brilliantly constructed by General Hao and Captain Kai."

Her father nodded respectfully at the man's comment and wheels started to turn and click in Lyra's head. This stranger was no stranger. This was Crown Prince Iroh, and she had been standing next to him as if he were just another noble.

Back. Yes, it's short, my apologies. The second and third chapters are mostly done, and 2 is kind of long… Also, if you noticed the little 1 in here, they're my reference notes, on why certain things are written certain ways. : ) I'll put them at the bottom, but they're extraneous info.

Any how, be sure to let me know what you think, yeah?

Much love,

Marionette

Sengen is a real goddess in Japanese mythology :) There are a lot of different myths that's surround her, but in one she is regarded as the one responsible for the creation of Mt Fuji ((Much like I've used her to create Ember Island)), and she is also known for burning down her house in anger at her husband's jealousy . Because Avatar is based on Asian culture in most aspects, I've decided to try and use a bit of Asian Mythology to explain things. However, because the Avatar World does have its own "Mythology" of sorts ((The Spirit World)) I'm going to take a bit of creative liberty ((at least until they reveal a bit more in Korra… then I may have to change a few things.))


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